The grand horror movie tradition of creepy dolls going on killing sprees is getting an update in the form of a murderous, TikTok-dancing robot named M3GAN.
Chucky, Annabelle and Brahms can take several seats, because the first trailer for “M3GAN” is sure to provide ample nightmare fuel to anyone side-eyeing that old plaything left in the closet.
The upcoming horror flick from producers James Wan (“Malignant”) and Blumhouse (“Halloween”) gives the trope a high-tech twist with an uncannily lifelike robot that was built to “protect a kid from ever feeling lonely or sad.”
That’s where Allison Williams (“Get Out”) comes into play as a brilliant toy company roboticist who becomes the guardian of her niece Cady (“The Haunting of Hill House” star Violet McGraw) after her parents die in a car crash.
“Under intense pressure at work, Gemma decides to pair her M3GAN prototype with Cady in an attempt to resolve both problems — a decision that will have unimaginable consequences,” the official synopsis says.
Set to a horror-fied remix of Taylor Swift’s “It’s Nice to Have a Friend,” the trailer shows how M3GAN ― aka Model 3 Generative Android ― builds an increasingly intense bond with the young girl that begins to worry her new parent.
Soon enough, the robot is crawling through the woods on all fours, pushing a bully into oncoming traffic, weaponizing a nail gun with startling accuracy and generally racking up a body count.
The trailer builds to an utterly bonkers and highly meme-able finish with M3GAN dancing down a hallway while brandishing a soon-to-be-blood-soaked paper cutter to terrifying effect.
“M3GAN” hits theaters on Jan. 13, 2023. Check out the trailer below: